Mets trade rumors: Mets unlikely to trade players under long-term control

With the second half of the season set to begin this evening and the team’s record much worse than expected at this point of the season at 39-47, the Mets are expected to be sellers leading up to the trade deadline. Even if things go really well over the next ten days, general manager Sandy Alderson doesn’t expect that outlook to change.

And while there’s been a rumor floating around that the Houston Astros are interested in Jacob deGrom—and who wouldn’t be?—Alderson says the Mets aren’t planning on making deals like that. And he doesn’t see the team as being in a “tear down situation.”

Unless the Mets go on a crazy winning streak, all of that makes sense. The team has plenty of players who either will or could hit free agency after this season. Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker, Jose Reyes, Addison Reed, Lucas Duda, Rene Rivera, and Fernando Salas are set to become free agents, and all but Reyes and Salas should have trade value. And on top of that bunch of players, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jerry Blevins both have team options for 2018, which might either make them more appealing to other teams or give the Mets a little bit less of a reason to trade them away.